The Reciprocal Philanthropy of Market Capitalism

The free market is morally praiseworthy not because it is the best possible framework for promoting one's self-interest, but because it by definition harmonizes one's self-interest with the interests of others and enables the effective pursuit of the former only insofar as it is coupled with the effective pursuit of the latter. In other words, the free market constitutes not so much a system that most effectively satisfies individual egoisms (even though this is usually the case), but a system based on "reciprocal philanthropy", where the utilitarian category of efficiency is objectified through the reference to the phenomenon of voluntary (and thus mutually beneficial) transactions, hence being also tied to the deontological category of respect for individual rights.

Different Reasons to Call Oneself a Libertarian

Some call themselves utilitarian libertarians because they believe that unconditional respect for individual liberty leads to the production of the greatest number of goods for the greatest number of people. Some call themselves deontological libertarians because they believe that individual liberty is the most fundamental of natural rights. Some call themselves eudaimonist libertarians because they believe that only unconditional respect for individual liberty allows for the unhampered development of intellectual and moral virtues. Some call themselves contractarian libertarians because they believe that only voluntary interactions are contractual, and only contractual interactions are mutually beneficial. And some call themselves intuitionist libertarians because they believe that unconditional respect for individual liberty embodies the most mundane and platitudinous common sense, consistent with our most ordinary notions of interpersonal decency.

Meanwhile, I call myself a libertarian because I believe that all of the above approaches complement and reinforce one another, thus bringing out the fundamental significance of individual liberty in the most complete manner.